Onboarding for International Doctoral Candidates
The TUM Graduate School Onboarding Program is an onboarding offer designed for international doctoral candidates embarking on their TUM doctoral journey. The program provides a structured pathway to acclimate to the new living and research environment, comprehend the prerequisites for a successful doctorate at TUM, and discover the extensive support services and resources available. Throughout the Program, new doctoral candidates will be guided to navigate potential intercultural challenges of integrating into the German research culture and learn techniques to enhance their resilience & self-management skills. The TUM-GS Onboarding Program ensures a smooth transition, fostering a sense of security and care and promoting rapid integration into the new environment and the TUM Community.
Join us in the TUM-GS Onboarding Program Summer Semester 2025 for new international doctoral candidates, and register here! Places will be assigned based on eligibility and registration date. Registration is possible until 15 June 2025.
Program Elements
The Welcome Session of the TUM-GS Onboarding Program provides international doctoral candidates new in Germany and at TUM with essential information about basic business etiquette in German academia and the TUM Doctoral Model. Participants will also learn about their involvement in research, teaching, and administrative work as doctoral candidates and research assistants in their research groups. The Welcome Session will also provide an overview of TUM’s/TUM-GS’s academic support services, transferable skills training offers, and services available for personal development and well-being on and off campus.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the day, participants will have gained
- Knowledge of basic business etiquette in German academia;
- A brief introduction to TUM’s history, recent developments, and understanding of TUM as a state-funded corporation under public law;
- Understanding of the requirements of the TUM Doctoral Model, what they can expect from their doctorate, and what is expected from them as doctoral candidates;
- Overview of TUM’s and TUM-GS’s support infrastructure and services offers for doctoral candidates.
Time and date:
Friday, 04 July 2025, 09:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location:
The Welcome Session will be held remotely.
The three-day intercultural training prepares international doctoral candidates to successfully acknowledge, understand, and navigate challenging situations in their everyday research at a German university. By addressing the cultural dimensions in the German university context, the workshop supports participants in understanding the cultural differences, e.g., communication style, feedback culture, perception of hierarchy, etc. Further, the workshop provides effective communication strategies and enhances their relationship with supervisors and colleagues. Through the training, participants will acquire relevant competencies for their intercultural and diverse doctoral context and everyday working & research life. They will also gain support to understand how to adopt these competencies to enhance their doctoral journey at TUM and their personal satisfaction and well-being.
Learning outcomes:
By participating in the intercultural training, participants will
- Acquire awareness about how culture influences their behavior and the perception of their behavior by others in everyday research situations;
- Better categorize possible uncertainty factors and feel strengthened in dealing with uncertainties;
- Learn how to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries;
- Reflect on their expectations regarding their doctorate and the collaboration with their supervisors and colleagues;
- Learn how to deal with “culture shock” and develop helpful adaptation strategies;
- Exchange their experience, views, and solutions for dealing with intercultural challenging situations.
Upon request, participants may benefit from individual one-on-one intercultural coaching sessions in the months after the course.
Time and date:
- Wednesday, 09 July 2025, 09:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m., and
- Thursday, 10 July 2025, 09:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m., and
- Friday, 11 July 2025, 09:00 a.m. – 03:00 p.m.
Location:
TUM Graduate School, Boltzmannstr. 17, 85748 Garching (TUM Campus Garching-Forschungszentrum)
In this webinar, international doctoral candidates will learn everything about German copyright law relevant to their role as lecturers and authors. Find out what doctoral candidates must consider when using copyrighted material from others, such as pictures or charts. Additionally, participants will learn about their rights concerning their work and how to make it available for reuse through Creative Commons licenses. The webinar, in cooperation with publishing experts from the University Library, not only provides new doctoral candidates with essential knowledge on copyright but also features a Q&A session to address their specific concerns.
Learning outcomes:
By participating in the workshop, participants will
- Learn about essential regulations of German copyright law;
- Familiarize themselves with its implications and application in their everyday research and teaching work;
- Receive expert answers to their individual questions and concerns.
Time and date:
Tuesday, 15 July 2025, 01:00 p.m. – 02:30 p.m.
Location:
The workshop will take place remotely.
Successfully completing a doctorate requires strong project management skills, effective self-organization, and constructive communication with the doctoral supervisor. This workshop will introduce key methods and tools for planning and executing research projects in the German academic system. Participants will also learn strategies for effective time management, along with essential tools and techniques for organizing tasks and notes to support their self-organization. Additionally, the workshop will focus on optimizing feedback sessions with doctoral supervisors to ensure productive discussions and continuous progress. Practical exercises and discussions will provide a hands-on experience to apply these techniques in the daily research routine.
Learning outcomes:
By participating in the course, participants will
- Learn essential tools and methods to improve their self- & time management skills;
- Familiarize themselves with project and time management fundamentals in German academia;
- Develop constructive communication strategies with supervisors:
Time and date:
Thursday, 17 July 2025, 09:00 a.m. – 05:00 p.m.
Location:
The workshop will take place remotely.
On Saturday after the intercultural training, participants of the TUM-GS Onboarding Program in the summer semester can join our Munich guided tour on the theme “Munich during National Socialism and Resistance” and learn about Munich's unique role in the Third Reich.
Learn about this period's shadows and resistance on this walking tour through Munich's historic city center. We will start at Königsplatz, go to Karolinenplatz, Brienner Strasse, the Square of the Victims of National Socialism to the Feldherrnhalle, and go through Hofgarten to the Haus der Kunst. The walking tour ends at the main building of the Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), where you can visit the free exhibition about the resistance group "Weiße Rose." The tour will give you insight into these places' role during the National Socialist era.
Date: Saturday, 12 July 2025, 10 a.m.
This tour is part of the Welcome@TUM-GS Event Program for new doctoral candidates. Find out more about our other events in the summer semester of 2025 here.
Eligibility
To be considered for the TUM-GS Onboarding Program, candidates must:
- have a master's degree from a non-German university and move/have moved to Germany to pursue a full doctorate at TUM (no guest doctorate);
- have started their stay in Germany/at TUM in the winter semester 2024/2025 or in the summer semester 2025 up to and including 30 June 2025;
- provide a supervision confirmation from a doctoral supervisor at TUM in the form of the signed Supervisor Confirmation Form (available on the registration page here).
Registering for the program confirms that you meet the eligibility criteria.
Please note that the TUM-GS Onboarding Program is for doctoral candidates who have already obtained a supervision confirmation from a doctoral supervisor at TUM at the time of program registration. Applicants who have not yet found a doctoral supervisor at TUM are not eligible for program participation.
What Else?
- The TUM Graduate School Onboarding Program is free of charge. By registering for the Onboarding Program, you register for all four program elements, and participation is mandatory in all four program elements to obtain the program certificate.
- Upon availability and request, TUM doctoral candidates based at TUM Campus Heilbronn or TUM Campus Straubing may receive accommodation support near TUM Campus Garching-Forschungszentrum for participation in the three-day intercultural training.
- There are 21 spots available for the TUM-GS Onboarding Program. Places will be assigned based on eligibility and the chronological order of application.
- The entire TUM Graduate School Onboarding Program will take place in English.